Poor behaviour in football is increasing. Prejudice is on the rise. All forms of discrimination - including racist, sexist and homophobic abuse - are ruining our game. We continue to declare our support for The FA’s ‘Enough is Enough’ campaign.

We’re targeting discriminatory abuse in all its forms with a range of punishments. Tell us when it happens, and we’ll tackle it. Together, we can put an end to discrimination in the grassroots game.

What counts as hate?

In grassroots football, hate is the expression of discrimination through verbal abuse, insulting gestures and prejudicial behaviour. The discrimination we’re targeting is words and actions which are racist, sexist or homophobic in nature.

What are the punishments?

We will take action against those who ruin the game for others. We’re absolutely clear about this. The action comes in the form of punishments for those players, clubs and supporters who behave in racist, sexist or homophobic ways.

* Players will be removed from play
* Players will be suspended for games
* Clubs can have points deducted
* Clubs can have their ground closed
* Spectators will be asked to leave

How do I report hate?

You’ll be making a big difference by reporting abusive behaviour whenever you see it or hear it. This can be reported at any time, even after the match has finished. To make this easy, there are four ways of telling us. Contact us, tell the match official, use the Kick it Out app or report it via The FA website.

“Removing discrimination from the game is a priority for us, to ensure everyone can enjoy football, free from prejudice,” explained Essex County FA Equality & Inclusion Officer, Milly Morgan. “Utilising a range of sanctions to tackle discriminatory abuse will make it clear that we will not tolerate any form of hate.”

“It is vital that people are reporting incidents of discriminatory abuse, through the correct channels, to help us remove discriminatory behaviour across the county. You can report these via match officials, local County FAs, The FA or Kick It Out.”

For more information, please visit the England Football website. You can also show your support for the campaign on Twitter by interacting with @EssexCountyFA and using the #EnoughIsEnough hashtag, and by posting on Facebook, mentioning ‘EssexFootball’.